As part of the indie wave in the early '90s that brought us filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater and more, Kevin Smith will long have his own little corner in cinematic history - and it's all because of Clerks. The black-and-white dark comedy about two men in a convenience store earned critical acclaim festival back in 1994, and to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, it's director has posted a little note about its origins on Twitter:
Smith's handwriting is a bit rough, so if you can't make out what this diary entry says, you can read it in clear text below:
"We start shooting the end of this month, Almost all of the details are in place, and I'm about ready to put this thing to bed. The principals are good, the bit parts are funny, and I've demoted myself from second lead Randal to non-speaking Silent Bob. Yes, I am humble in spite of myself."
While Clerks. was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 1994 and at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals in May and September of that year, die-hard fans will note that the movie only got a limited released on October 19, 1994 - which you probably now realize was exactly 20 years ago today. Of course, the film wasn't exactly a box office smash, but it did make back its limited budget ($27,000) in its first weekend (making $31,445). Ultimately, word of mouth from professional critics helped the tiny indie find an audience, and it both gave the feature cult status and launched Kevin Smith's career as a filmmaker.
And while neither Clerks II nor Smith's most recent film, Tusk, exactly set the world on fire, there is an actual future for the world of Clerks (and therefore the known View Askewneverse). The writer/director has said that his work on Tusk actually got the ball rolling on a Clerks III, which he has said in the past is already written. It may be a few years before we actually get to see it, however, as Smith is currently in the midst of what he is calling his True North Trilogy - a trio of projects set in Canada. Tusk was the first movie, the in-production Yoga Hosers is the second, and the finale will be called Moose Jaws. Assuming he'll be done with the series by the end of 2016, perhaps that means we can expect Clerks III in 2017?
As you wait for the may-never-get-here sequel, feel free to reminisce about the first time you saw Clerks, your favorite lines, how you feel about it now, etc. in the comments section below!
